The 8 biggest questions we still have about Apple's new iPhones

The big day is almost here. In less than 24 hours, Apple will finally kick off its Sept. 12 event at the Steve Jobs Theater at its new "spaceship" campus California. The occasion will be used as a launching pad for the company's newest hardware, including a new batch of phones unofficially referred to as the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X.

Apple typically uses its annual fall event to show off the company's new iPhone, but this year is a little different. The usually secretive company couldn't contain all the leaks about the forthcoming iPhone this time around, giving us deep insights into what will likely be shown at the event.

First, in August, there was a massive leak when an Apple employee appeared to inadvertently shared a firmware update on a public server that revealed details about the phone's design and operation. Then, this weekend and just days before the event, there was another major software leak revealing practically everything about the unreleased iPhone.

Now, we're pretty sure we know all the important details about the unreleased iPhones. We think we know the names (reportedly iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X), that at least one of them will include something called "Face ID" to replace the fingerprint sensor, and that there will be animated emoji to mess around with.

But even with this tantalizing info, there's still so much we don't know. There are plenty of unanswered questions we hope Apple answers at its big event. Here are the biggest questions we still have about the upcoming iPhones:

What the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus will look like and how will they operate?

By now, we know practically everything about the new iPhone X, which is being referred to as a "premium" model by most experts. We know it will have new facial recognition technology used to unlock your phone, an edge-to-edge display, a new type of wireless charging, and a bunch of other futuristic tech that really makes it stand out from previous iterations of the iPhone — and smartphones in general.

But what about the cheaper models, which now look to be called the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus? It seems likely they'll share the same design as the iPhone 7, but we don't know for sure. What about some of the iPhone 8 features like facial recognition or wireless charging — will they share those? We also don't know if they'll have the same dual-camera system expected in the iPhone X. For many people, these cheaper, slightly more affordable phones are going to be the best option, and we still don't know much about them since virtually all the attention in the run-up has been on the iPhone X.

What colors will be available?

The existing iPhone 7 and 7 Plus come in five colors: jet black, black, silver, gold, and rose gold. It's still unclear whether Apple will stick with this same palette or offer up a few new ones.

One of the most shocking rumors is that Apple will try out a brand new color called "copper gold" or "blush gold." We've only seen dummy phones and other cruddy mockups showing of the new color, so it's hard to tell if this new, darker hue actually be a departure from years past. Here at the office, we've often called it "Poo Gold" — but we're still hoping that Apple's final version looks a lot better than the early models we've seen.

Will the new iPhones have a home button?

The iPhone 8 will look similar to our imagining of the iPhone in 2020, with a virtually bezel-less screen.

Image: LORIS RAVERA/MASHABLE

It's looking more and more likely that all three new iPhones won't have a home button. Rumors have been swirling for months that Apple would ditch the home button and instead opt for a screen that takes up the entire front of the phone.

Leaked info appears to corroborate this rumor. Apple seems to be intent on giving the high-end iPhone X a gigantic display. Replacing the Touch ID fingerprint sensor will be the brand new Face ID technology that scans your face in order to unlock the phone. It's still unclear whether all the new phones will have Face ID or just the highest-end version, but the home button could be no more on all of Apple's new phones.

Will the smaller iPhone will have a dual camera this time around?

Image: USED WITH PERMISSION FROM DANNY WINGET/YOUTUBE

When Apple first introduced a dual-camera system in 2014, it only put it in the larger iPhone 6 Plus model. Since then, owners of the "regular size" models have had to settle for the not-quite-as-good solo camera without optical image stabilization.

That could finally change this time around. Apple is expected to include dual cameras aligned vertically on the rear of the high-end version of the iPhone. What's still unknown is whether cheaper models will get similar setups or whether they'll be stuck with a single camera on the back. We're really hopeful that all the phones will have equal photography capabilities.

What will the storage options be?

So this is one very important piece of news that's unclear. We don't know for sure, but most rumors indicate that the iPhone X will have a base storage of 64GB, with 128GB and 256GB, just like the iPhone 7.

What's somewhat surprising is that Apple might offer a 512GB version, which could really open the floodgates for shooting video. Without expandable memory slot and low storage options, current iPhones can be difficult to shoot hours of video with. A 512GB version would take care of this problem — perfectly timed up with the launch of Apple ARKit and the looming surge of augmented reality video.

What will make the iPhone X special?

We know that the iPhone X, the premium version of the new phones, is going to have a bunch of special features and even a unique design. The two most obvious special features are the inclusion of facial recognition and an edge-to-edge glass display. But is that where the specialness ends?

We still don't know if the iPhone X will have a special chip or even a special camera system — two areas that seem like obvious targets if the company is actually going to beef up the phone and make it a tier above the others. This is something we'll be watching very closely at the event, but for now, we're left to wonder exactly what will set the special iPhone X apart fro its counterparts.

What's the exact price of the phones?

Image: AMBAR DEL MORAL / MASHABLE

So we know where the floor will be: sources have been reporting that the next iPhone will have a starting price of $1,000 and most estimates say it could climb as high as $1,200.

Benjamin Geskin, who has become a prolific leaker of iPhone information, suggested earlier this month that the iPhones would be sold in three models: 64 GB for $1000, 256 GB for $1100, and 512 GB for $1200. What's unclear, though, is whether he meant the high-end version of the phone. If this is simply for the lowest-tier phone, it would mean that the premium version could be unreasonably expensive.

Will Apple bring back the headphone jack?

Image: Brittany herbert / mashable

Okay, so we don't know this for sure, but it's pretty much a safe bet to assume that the headphone jack is never coming back. We'd be blown away if it somehow returned in this historic 10-year-anniversary iPhone.

In a polarizing move, Apple killed the headphone jack back in 2016 in order to make the iPhone thinner, and in the meantime, the company released its Bluetooth wireless AirPods headphones. They're not the best-looking product we've ever seen (they're a little awkward), but they will likely continue to be the best way to listen to music while using an iPhone.

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